China Packing List: What to Bring and What to Buy There (2026)

There’s one item Chinese airport security will now take from you and not give back: a power bank without the CCC (China Compulsory Certification) mark. The country’s civil aviation regulator banned uncertified power banks from domestic flight cabins on June 28, 2025, and checkpoints enforce it strictly (CAAC notice, July 2025; rules as of 2026-08).

That small rule says a lot about packing for China. Some things that are trivial elsewhere (deodorant, prescription medication, your exact contact lens brand) are genuinely hard to source after you land. Other things (sunscreen, charging cables, a cheap summer fan) are better bought on the ground. The split doesn’t match what most first-time visitors assume.

Here’s the category-by-category breakdown: what to pack before you fly, what to buy after you arrive, and what to leave at home entirely.

Documents

Pack from home

• Passport with six months of validity left. China’s entry rules want at least six months of validity beyond your arrival date (US State Department, China Travel Advisory, as of 2026-08), and airlines check it at check-in. You can be denied boarding if your passport expires sooner. Check the date today, not the night before your flight.
• Proof of your visa status. If you’re entering under a visa-free transit policy, print the policy page from the National Immigration Administration website. Check-in staff at smaller airports aren’t always current on the rules.
• Printed hotel confirmations and onward tickets. Immigration can ask for these. Phone reception at the border is unreliable, and paper doesn’t need a signal.
• A scan of your passport photo page, saved to your phone and one cloud service. Some hotel check-ins and train bookings ask for it.
• Screenshots of your hotel address in Chinese characters. You will show these to taxi and Didi drivers daily. Keep one in your pocket, not buried in your bag.

Buy there

Nothing. Documents that aren’t sorted before departure don’t get sorted.

One related task to finish at home: pre-fill your arrival card. Since November 20, 2025, foreign travelers can file entry information online within 72 hours of arrival through the NIA arrival card portal, or via WeChat and Alipay mini-programs (Chinese embassy notice, December 2025). Airport kiosks and paper forms still exist, but pre-filing cuts the queue at immigration.

Electronics

Pack from home

• A CCC-marked power bank, 100Wh or smaller. 100Wh works out to roughly 27,000mAh at the standard 3.7V. Power banks sold in China have required the CCC mark since August 1, 2024, when market regulators made certification mandatory for sale (SAMR announcement, English text via CAICT), and since June 28, 2025, uncertified ones are also barred from domestic cabins. Banks between 100Wh and 160Wh need airline approval in advance, and anything above 160Wh isn’t allowed at all. Every power bank rides in your carry-on, never in checked luggage. Anker, Baseus, and Xiaomi banks sold in China carry the mark; check the back of yours before you pack it. Verify current cabin rules at the CAAC as of 2026-08.
• An unlocked phone that supports eSIM. iPhones from the XS onward support eSIM (Apple), as do recent Pixels and current Samsung flagships. Some Chinese-market Android phones don’t, and a carrier-locked phone won’t accept a travel eSIM. Confirm your exact model before departure.
• Two of each charging cable (USB-C, Lightning). Cables vanish on trips, and a cheap replacement in China won’t help you on day one.
• A travel adapter. China runs on 220V/50Hz, and its sockets take three plug types: A (two flat pins, like the US), C (two round pins, like Europe), and I (three angled pins, like Australia) (Electrical Safety First). Most laptop and phone chargers say “100-240V” on the label and work fine. If yours says 110V only, leave it at home.
• Noise-cancelling headphones. Four-to-six-hour high-speed train rides are routine in China. Noise cancellation turns them into work time or sleep time.
• An e-reader, if you read. Your phone works but burns battery.

Buy there

• A replacement power bank if yours lacks the CCC mark. Xiaomi and Anker models are everywhere, at electronics chains and on Taobao.
• A portable fan, for trips between June and September in Beijing, Shanghai, or anywhere south of the Yangtze. Convenience stores and street vendors sell them for pocket change; travelers report rarely paying more than a few dollars.
• Phone cases and screen protectors. Huge selection, tiny prices. Obscure phone models are the exception; buy that case at home.

Clothing

Pack from home

• One pair of broken-in walking shoes. Travelers consistently report 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day in any major Chinese city. New shoes in the suitcase mean blisters by day two. Bring the pair you already wear.
• Layers. Chinese climate runs to extremes. Summers are hot and humid, winters dry and bitter, and spring and autumn days can swing 15°C between morning and evening. A packable down vest takes almost no space.
• A scarf or light wrap. Temples expect covered shoulders and knees, and trains and restaurants often run air-conditioning at arctic settings.
• A packable rain jacket. Summer is monsoon season across much of the country, and a jacket beats an umbrella when you need both hands.
• One presentable outfit. In our editorial experience, people dress up more for dinners and hotel bars than in most Western cities.

Buy there

• Pyjamas. Chinese cotton pyjamas are cheap and genuinely good.
• Slippers. Most hotels provide disposable pairs; nicer ones cost a few yuan.
• Sunglasses. Broad selection, variable quality. Try before you buy.

Toiletries and personal care

Pack from home

• Deodorant for the whole trip. This is the gap that surprises Western travelers most. In our editorial experience, the Chinese market is mostly light sprays and roll-ons, and the solid sticks and strong antiperspirants common in the US and Europe are hard to find outside big-city import shops. Pack enough.
• Prescription medication in original packaging, with the label intact. China regulates narcotic and psychotropic drugs as controlled substances, and some medicines that are routine in the West, including ADHD medication such as methylphenidate (Concerta), strong painkillers, and some sleep aids, fall under those rules. Travelers must carry a medical diagnosis certificate and no more than a single-prescription quantity, and customs clears the medication on a personal-use, reasonable-quantity basis (Shanghai municipal government guidance, as of 2026-08). Confirm legality for your specific medication with a Chinese embassy before flying, and declare it at customs.
• Contact lenses and solution. Your exact brand and prescription may not be stocked.
• A basic first-aid kit: plasters, antiseptic wipes, ibuprofen or paracetamol, anti-diarrhoea tablets, rehydration salts.
• Your preferred menstrual products, if you have strong brand preferences. Big cities stock options, but the range differs from home.

Buy there

• Sunscreen. A rare category where China beats most home markets. Japanese and Korean brands like Biore, Anessa, and Skin Aqua sit in drugstore shelves at low prices, with light textures and high protection ratings.
• Wet wipes and pocket tissues. Carry a pack at all times, because many public toilets provide no paper. Every convenience store sells them.
• Skincare. Sheet masks and serums at prices that will spoil you for your local pharmacy.
• Hand sanitiser and insect repellent. Stocked everywhere, though formulations differ from the brands you know.

Get the internet sorted before you fly

This earns its own category because getting it wrong shadows every other part of the trip.

Before departure:

• Install and test two VPNs on every device. See the Best VPNs for China guide.
• Buy and install a travel eSIM (Hong Kong-routed plans are the standard pick). See the eSIM vs physical SIM comparison.
• Download offline maps for every city on your route.
• Download offline Chinese language packs for Google Translate or DeepL.

After arrival:

• If you’re staying longer than about three weeks and want a Chinese number for food delivery and SMS verification, buy a prepaid SIM at a China Mobile or China Unicom store. Passport required.

Pack it or buy it there? The quick matrix

What to leave at home

• Hair dryer and towels. Hotels supply both, and kettles come standard in rooms too.
• A third pair of shoes. One walking pair and one casual pair is enough. Shoes are the bulkiest thing in most bags.
• A printed guidebook. Out of date before you leave the driveway.
• Large amounts of cash. A few ¥50 and ¥100 notes cover the odd cash moment, but China runs on mobile payment. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly instead.
• A pocket WiFi rental from home. An eSIM is smaller, cheaper, and there’s nothing to pick up or return.

The rules that changed for 2025-2026

Power banks need the CCC mark

Worth repeating once more: domestic flights now bar any power bank without the CCC logo, banks between 100Wh and 160Wh need airline approval in advance, and anything over 160Wh stays home (CAAC, as of 2026-08). The mark has been mandatory on power banks sold in China since August 1, 2024, under a SAMR compulsory-certification announcement (English text via CAICT), so anything bought there recently should carry it. A bank bought abroad years ago probably doesn’t. Flip yours over before you fly, or plan on buying a cheap replacement after landing.

The arrival card went digital

Since November 20, 2025, you can file your arrival information online within 72 hours of landing, through the NIA portal or WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. Kiosks and paper forms remain at airports, but pre-filing shaves real time off immigration. Verify the current process at the NIA portal as of 2026-08.

Two visa-free routes, different rules

Route one: the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit. Citizens of 55 countries who are transiting onward to a third country or region can stay up to 10 days, entering through 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions (NIA, as of 2026-08). A confirmed onward ticket is required.

Route two: the unilateral 30-day visa-free entry. More than 40 countries are covered for tourism, business, and family visits, and the policy was extended through December 31, 2026 (gov.cn, November 2025). US, UK, and Canadian passports aren’t on the unilateral list (though UK holders can use the transit route). Check the NIA country list for your nationality as of 2026-08.

Seasonal quick reference

The temperature ranges below are editorial estimates based on traveler reports, not official climate normals. Use them for packing instincts, and check a forecast before you fly.

| Season | Months | Typical temperatures | Key items | |---|---|---|---| | Spring | March-May | 10-25°C | Light layers, a jacket, walking shoes | | Summer | June-August | 25-40°C, humid | Breathable fabrics, portable fan, sunscreen, rain jacket | | Autumn | September-November | 10-25°C | Layers, light jacket | | Winter | December-February | -10 to 10°C | Heavy coat, thermals, gloves, scarf |

One caution from our editorial experience: Beijing in July at 35°C with high humidity is physical punishment, and Shanghai at 5°C in January feels colder than the number suggests because the damp gets through everything. Pack for the climate you’re walking into, not the one you’re leaving behind.

FAQ

The failures that actually spoil a China trip are boring and preventable: a dead phone at the arrivals curb, or a power bank pulled at domestic security. Shoes that hurt by noon are the third. Everything else you can buy there, and plenty of it you’ll want to bring home, so leave suitcase room for tea and skincare.

Policies here were checked against the official sources listed above in August 2026, and prices reflect traveler reports from the same period. Rules move, so re-check the links before you fly.